by Coleen Kwan
“If you thought that, why did you take me on in the first place?”
“I dunno. Call me crazy.”
Joe’s gaze wandered over her, lingering on her bare skin. His mocha eyes softened slightly, and a flush of warmth feathered through her. Why this man had such an effect on her, she didn’t know, but she couldn’t seem to control her reactions. A second ago he’d been telling her off, criticizing her, but suddenly the mood had shifted, and there was something wistful, almost seductive in his sweeping scan. But then he shook his head, and that seemed to break the spell.
“You’re welcome to stay the night,” he said, all businesslike. “There’s an early morning bus service to Fort Bragg tomorrow. You might pick up a coffee shop job there.” He dug into the pocket of his jeans and drew out his wallet. “And I’ll pay you for the shift you’ve just worked.”
Nina recoiled from the money he offered her. “No, thank you. You’re giving me a bed for the night, and I had a meal in the bar and I broke two plates. I’m sure that makes us even.”
She wasn’t going to accept charity from anyone, especially not Joe. She might only have a few dollars on her, but she still had her cell phone. Tomorrow morning she’d call her dad. He’d organize help, probably send the company helicopter to pick her up. And then she’d arrange for her BMW to be hauled out of the quarry and transported to San Francisco. Her heart sank lower at the prospect of telling her dad what had happened, but it seemed the only sensible thing to do.
Joe gave her an enigmatic look before pocketing the money. “Have it your way.” He paused, then shrugged. “I might not see you in the morning, so good luck and stay out of trouble, Nina.”
Not waiting for a response, he turned and strode away like he’d just completed a distasteful chore.
Chapter Three
Joe spent a restless night, plagued by thoughts of Nina. He barely knew the woman, but she intrigued him and bothered him equally. His instincts had warned him she wasn’t suitable for the job, that she was bound to cause trouble, and trouble was the last thing he needed in his busy life. But then he’d damn well let her stay, because his common sense had been overruled by other instincts. Base instincts he tried to ignore but couldn’t.
As he tossed under the sheets, he couldn’t help remembering Nina standing in front of him, naked except for a bath towel. Even as they argued, his senses had been invaded by her moist, sudsy skin and her blue eyes glaring at him through her slick hair. A caveman urge had boiled in him to yank her into his arms and find out with his lips and fingers exactly how silky her skin was.
She hadn’t seemed to care that only a thin scrap of fabric stood between him and her lithe body. She’d taunted him, letting the towel slip an inch or two, revealing the tops of her breasts, and he’d fought the compulsion to silence her by bringing his mouth down on hers, hard and hot and demanding. Nina got his motor running in overdrive, but he didn’t care for it.
After Deanne, he’d vowed never to lose his head over a woman again, and for four whole years he’d kept that promise without breaking a sweat. Until Nina arrived and jolted something alive in him, something that threatened his vow. Fortunately, he wouldn’t have his resolve tested any further, because she was leaving as suddenly as she’d arrived. Thank God. But he didn’t feel as relieved as he should be.
The sun was barely up by the time he’d finished his morning run and showered, changed, and breakfasted. He had a busy day ahead. First, he had a meeting with the nurse manager at the nursing home a twenty-minute drive away where his nonna Lina now lived since her car accident. He never missed the monthly meetings. As far as he could tell, his grandmother was content enough at the home, but he liked to be aware of any changes to her routine.
Then it was back to Hartley for a committee meeting at ten, which would take at least an hour, so by the time he got back to the Comet Inn, Nina would be gone. He wouldn’t have to see her and become further aggravated. Or stimulated.
Just before eleven, he walked into the inn and made straight for his office. Now that Nina had left, he’d have to scramble to find a replacement, plus there was all the cleaning she was supposed to do—work he’d probably end up doing himself.
He was at his desk searching for the number of the employment agency when he heard a clattering noise down the hall followed by a muffled curse. Poking his head out of his office door, he spotted Nina battling with the industrial vacuum cleaner. The two coffees he’d drunk suddenly began burning a hole in his stomach.
He walked out and stood in front of her. “What are you doing?”
She dumped the vacuum cleaner on the floor, wiped the back of her forearm across her brow, and blinked at him. “Doing weights with oversize vacuum cleaners is a hobby of mine, didn’t you know?”
Her face was hot and flushed, and strands of her blonde hair stuck to her temples. She wore the same clothes as yesterday, the T-shirt more wrinkled, the leg of her jeans stained. She looked sweaty and grubby and scrappy. Something in his chest flipped over and squeezed the air from his lungs.
“You’ve decided to stay?” He should have been annoyed, but instead couldn’t help the corners of his mouth tweaking up.
“Looks like it,” she said.
“Because you want to prove yourself to me?”
“I’m doing this for me. Nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing at all? Not even a tiny bit?” Joe leaned his shoulder against the wall. He shouldn’t be feeling this lighthearted just because she’d decided to stay.
“Okay, you got me. Yeah, I admit it. I’m staying because I have a massive crush on you.” She swept her blue gaze over him, assessing him, and a strange tingling raced across Joe’s chest. Even his damn nipples were reacting to her.
He managed not to swallow. “You do?”
“Sure. I mean, no girl could resist all that Italian stallionness oozing out of you.” She fluttered a hand at him. “So you’d better be ready to catch me in case I swoon at your feet.”
He hid his amusement. “And you’re just assuming I’d be happy to let you stay on?”
The sass slipped from her expression, and her mouth fell open. Aha, she hadn’t thought of that one.
“Don’t you want me to?”
“Well, let’s see now.” He made a show of stroking his chin and pretending to ponder the matter. “Do I want someone who’s inexperienced and has a conniption when the shower acts up?”
Nina’s cheeks grew pinker. “I had a bad day yesterday. The shower was the straw that broke this camel’s back.”
“And I can guarantee you’ll have another bad day in the future, probably not far off. Are you going to threaten to pack up again? Because I don’t have the time or inclination to be your personal cheer squad every time you chip a fingernail or something.”
She swallowed, looking like she was battling to hold her tongue. “I hate to break it to you, but being a personal cheer squad is not your forte.”
Joe couldn’t help grinning at that. “True. I don’t go in for that managerial motivational-speak.”
“If I promise to hunker down, can I keep the job?”
She flashed him a winning smile that sent a powerful shaft of lust straight to his crotch. Hoh, boy. How was he going to maintain the hard-ass boss attitude if one smile from her could give him a semi-on? He never got involved with his staff; that was a hard and fast rule. Apart from it being unprofessional, a messy entanglement could sour the tight-knit team he’d built up and, even worse, a lawsuit could ruin him, especially now, when his finances were stretched tight and he was struggling to get a bank loan.
He cleared his throat. “Uh, well, let’s say you’re on probation for the next month.” He scratched his head, waiting for his blood to return northward to his brain. “What have you done so far this morning?”
Nina expelled a breath. “I’ve changed the linen in the rooms where the guests checked out and cleaned the bathrooms. Now I’m about to do the carpets.”
His eyebrows sh
ot up. “You did all that on your own initiative?”
“It’s not that hard to figure out.” She hefted up the vacuum cleaner. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more cleaning to do.”
“Let me carry that for you.” He reached for the vacuum, but she shook her head.
“You don’t usually do that for your maids, do you?”
“No, but…” It didn’t seem right to let her lug that bulky piece of equipment up the stairs. Not when he was imagining himself kissing her.
“I can manage.” To prove her words, she shuffled past him and headed for the reception lobby.
Joe watched her progress. As she reached the foot of the staircase, Vince rushed out of the bar and swooped the vacuum cleaner out of her hands before she could say anything.
“Let me give you a hand,” Vince chirped.
Joe waited for Nina to tell Vince she didn’t need his help, but instead she gave him a brilliant beam and bounced after him. Joe scowled and turned back to his office.
An hour later, Joe was outside the inn pinning up a poster for the upcoming Hartley Food and Wine Festival when Vince ambled up to him.
“So you never told me how the bank meeting went yesterday,” Vince said.
“Not good. The loan officer didn’t like my numbers, so my application was rejected.”
Vince grimaced. “That sucks.”
“Yeah.” Joe shook his head. Nina’s arrival had temporarily distracted him, but now he had to face his financial difficulties. The Comet Inn was doing well, but Joe wanted to expand into the high-end B&B market. Six months ago he’d bought a grand but dilapidated mansion on a fifty-acre block just out of town. Since it was an estate sale, he’d purchased it before securing funding for the renovations. The property had great business potential, but so far he’d had no luck finding a bank willing to loan him the sizable amount he needed.
“What will you do?” Vince pulled on his lower lip, looking worried. “You’re not going to give in to those Beaumont pricks, are you?”
Joe’s back tensed. “No way. I’d sooner pull out my fingernails than let Carson Beaumont take my property.”
He’d never met Carson Beaumont. Instead, the multimillionaire jerk had sent his black-suited corporate thugs to cajole and threaten Joe into selling his proposed B&B to them. Not that Beaumont, Inc. was interested in running a B&B. No, they were interested in the ocean views and the road access his property would give them to their potential new development. They were interested in razing the grand old mansion to the ground and plunking down a flashy megaresort that would totally ruin Hartley.
“I’m not done yet,” Joe said. “There are other banks.”
But he wasn’t filled with hope. The loan officer had been fidgety, embarrassed even when he rejected Joe’s application. As if there was more to it than he was letting on. Joe was beginning to suspect Beaumont, Inc. was somehow behind his difficulties in getting a bank loan.
“Good.” Vince nodded. “I’d hate to see a Beaumont resort here. They’ve already spoiled Sonoma. Why can’t they stay the hell out of Hartley?”
“I’m working on it, Vince.”
Vince returned to the inn while Joe finished pinning the poster. He walked back into the reception lobby just as Nina appeared.
“Hi,” she said. “Got a minute?”
“Yeah,” he replied, his interest piqued by her furtive manner.
She plucked at her jeans, looking slightly embarrassed. “The thing is, I had all my clothes stolen, remember? This is all I own at the moment. I can wash my T-shirt and underwear each night, but if I don’t get some spare things soon, I’m going to start smelling funky. And I really need to get some more comfortable shoes, because these boots are killing me. I know it’s a bit much to ask, but could I have an advance on my wages? Say, forty dollars?”
“Sure.” He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a couple of twenties.
“Thanks.” Her cheeks were pink as she took the money from him. “I’d better put this in my room.” She hurried away from him, hands in the pockets of her jeans.
“I saw that!” Sarah stood in the entrance to the bar, her arms crossed and a black scowl darkening her forehead. “It’s bad enough you hiring her on a whim, but now you’re giving her money, too?”
“Not giving, lending.”
“There’s no way she’s ever worked in a coffee shop. After what I saw last night, I doubt she has any service experience at all.” Sarah was getting even more worked up. “There’s something fishy about her. I’m convinced she’s hiding something.”
Maybe Sarah had a point, Joe mused. Nina had seemed cagey about her past. But then again, plenty of people were. She wasn’t the first to come here looking for a fresh start.
Joe shrugged. “Even if she is, it doesn’t mean she’s not honest.”
“Are you into her? Is that why she’s got you twisted around her little finger?”
Joe’s jaw clamped tight. “I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge of this place.”
He’d spoken evenly, but it was enough for Sarah to blush, a rare occurrence for her. “If I stepped out of line, I’m sorry,” she said, “but maybe you’re forgetting I’m more than just your chef. I’m your friend, too, and I’d hate to see you being taken for a ride.”
Joe sighed. Sarah was right; they were friends, and she had every right to call him out on his peculiar behavior. But it irked him that she thought Nina had some kind of hold over him. She didn’t. Sure, he had a hard time not thinking about her, and every conversation they had set off tiny fireworks in him, but he wasn’t enslaved by her. He wasn’t going to let a little inconvenient lust fog up his brain.
“D’you really think a girl like Nina could have me twisted around her little finger?” he scoffed.
Sarah slowly shook her head. “Guess not. You get plenty of women throwing themselves at you, and you never lose your head over any of them.”
“Damn right I don’t.” Deanne had taught him his lesson. Since then, he made sure his amorous adventures were strictly temporary. That way his emotions were never in danger. Besides, he didn’t have the time or energy for a serious relationship. He had the Comet Inn, his grandmother, and his new business venture, as well as his commitments to the Hartley business community and his soccer team, all keeping him busy. A serious girlfriend would only complicate his already overloaded life.
“Fine. You can handle it.” Sarah turned to head back to the kitchen and said over her shoulder, “Besides, that Nina Summers hardly seems like your type.”
Joe was left standing there, his teeth grinding. How did Sarah know what his type was? Did he even have a type? Judging by the way his body reacted to Nina’s presence since she’d arrived, he had to admit not only was she his type, but she was also in a unique class of her own made specifically to tempt him.
Rubbing his face, Joe headed for his office. He needed some time alone.
…
Friday passed in a blur of drudgery. Nina wasn’t a stranger to hard work, but by the end of the day she realized that weekly Zumba and yoga sessions were no preparation for being a maid or busgirl.
Joe ran a tight ship at the Comet Inn, and everyone was expected to pull his or her weight. Though he was the undisputed boss of the place, he pitched in wherever he was needed, worked harder than anyone else, and his employees seemed to genuinely like and respect him.
Nina didn’t get any special concessions from him because she was new and inexperienced. After she’d readied the rooms for their Friday night guests, he inspected her work and found several things she’d missed or hadn’t done to his satisfaction. As he spelled out her shortcomings, he wore a slightly cynical expression, as if he expected her to argue, but she didn’t. Determined not to give him the chance to criticize her attitude, she smiled blandly and got on with the job.
Friday night at the Comet Inn was frenetic, and even though Joe hired extra staff for his busy nights, they were still swamped. By the time
the kitchen closed, Nina was staggering on her feet, so fatigued that Sarah’s whiplash tongue barely penetrated the fog of exhaustion enveloping her. She tossed her soiled apron into the laundry bin and trudged past the bar. She’d meant to hang out with Vince, but she was too tired to socialize, and besides, Vince seemed busy.
In the lobby she bumped into Joe, and, with her last ounce of energy, she mustered up a nod for him.
“Good night. I’m not even attempting that freaky shower tonight. I’m going to fall straight into bed.” She was too exhausted to even keep up the pretense of coping in front of Joe.
His dark eyes softened as he reached out and clasped her shoulder. “Didn’t you have any breaks today?”
The weight of his hand sent a warm buzz through her. “Not really. It took longer than I expected to get the last guest rooms in order.”
“You’re entitled to a thirty-minute break every five hours. You should’ve taken them.” His thumb rotated absentmindedly on her shoulder at the neckline of her T-shirt, and the feel of his thumb pad against her skin emitted a rush of heat through her body. Her fatigue vanished, replaced by a startling, troublesome desire.
“I want to pass probation.”
“But I don’t want you passing out,” Joe said, his eyes heavy lidded, enigmatic. “It’s too bad the inn is booked solid or you could’ve used one of the free bathrooms.” He paused, then added casually, “You can always take a shower at my place.”
With you? The question burst into her mind, accompanied by graphic images of showering with Joe. Hard muscle, cascading water, Joe’s firm ass clasped in her hands, and his hungry lips moving over hers… Sexual need spiked in her, sharpening to a tight, hot throb between her legs. Holy hell. She had a full-on lust for this guy.
“Your p-place?” she stuttered, her lungs not working. “Uh, where’s that?”
“About ten minutes out of town. I’ve got a house on a few acres. Nice and quiet.”
She cleared her throat, which had suddenly become the Sahara Desert. “The others would get suspicious if the maid took a shower at your place.” She could feel her face growing red.
